The WCC’s single game scheduling (not home & home) of the bottom two teams versus the top two teams from the previous years’s standings has been going on for several years now. This was done to enable the WCC’s better programs to have in-season scheduling flexibility to be able to add a high RPI opponent mid-week instead of having to bring down their own RPI by playing a WCC bottom-feeder.
This scheduling policy was instituted at the same time as the change to the revenue sharing of NCAA units at a higher percentage to the teams that actually do the winning instead of evenly to each WCC member. Both of these moves were made to keep Gonzaga happy as they were being courted by the MWC and Big 12 as an affiliate member.
The WCC’s single game scheduling (not home & home) of the bottom two teams versus the top two teams from the previous years’s standings has been going on for several years now. This was done to enable the WCC’s better programs to have in-season scheduling flexibility to be able to add a high RPI opponent mid-week instead of having to bring down their own RPI by playing a WCC bottom-feeder.
This scheduling policy was instituted at the same time as the change to the revenue sharing of NCAA units at a higher percentage to the teams that actually do the winning instead of evenly to each WCC member. Both of these moves were made to keep Gonzaga happy as they were being courted by the MWC and Big 12 as an affiliate member.
Hawaii is not in the Big Sky Conference....I believe they are in the Big West..
https://apnews.com/march-madness-ncaa-tournament-275680042f9e4b5bb7b71a4fbca0ff10
https://www.sfgate.com/collegesports/article/WCC-makes-changes-to-men-s-basketball-schedule-12782409.php